Gordon McLaughlin recall, 8th Judicial District Attorney, Colorado (2024)

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Colorado's 8th Judicial District Attorney recall
Officeholders
Gordon McLaughlin
Recall status
Underway
Signature requirement
52,858
See also
Recall overview Political recall efforts, 2024 Recalls in Colorado Colorado recall laws County official recalls Recall reports

An effort to recall 8th Judicial District Attorney Gordon McLaughlin in Colorado was initiated in 2024. Patricia Teller and Danette Cox filed the initial recall paperwork on March 1, 2024.

To get the recall on the ballot, recall supporters have until April 30, 2024, to collect 52,858 signatures. Further, the petition must be "signed by registered electors entitled to vote for a successor of the incumbent sought to be recalled."

Recall supporters

The petition against McLaughlin listed the following reasons for recall:

“

Larimer county District Attorney McLaughlin should be recalled. He has shown a pattern of inconsistencies in his arbitrary decisions. There were two incidents that occurred in 2023 involving careless driving resulting in death. The first incident occurred on 1-24-23 and happened at the Trilby Transfort Station. McLaughlin chose NOT to prosecute the killer William Finnegan even though there was substantial evidence, witness testimony and expert reports. which McLaughlin admitted he chose to ignore. His excuse for not prosecuting was that he did not feel confident in his skills as a prosecutor to win in court. A POOR excuse for not prosecuting a crime. The other case of careless driving resulting in death occurred on 8-2-23 and involved a vehicle/cyclist death. The killer, Amy Weiss, WAS charged with careless driving resulting in death. In the first incident clear video shows the driver had the victim in full view for eight seconds prior to turning the bus into the victim. The driver in the second incident had much less reaction time. These inconsistencies are unacceptable. Our community deserves better.

”

Recall opponents

District Attorney McLaughlin gave the following statement of justification:

“

The Larimer and Jackson County Clerks estimate this effort will cost taxpayers $834,265.84. There is already an election for District Attorney scheduled for November of this year (2024) and this effort would be an incredible waste of taxpayer dollars when voters will already have an opportunity to decide on this office. Many of the claims made in this petition about the District Attorney’s Office are false. This issue has been thoroughly litigated in Larimer County Courts, where two separate judges rejected the petitioner’s claims and affirmed the District Attorney's position. Additionally, the Colorado Supreme Court has also rejected the petitioner's claims.

”

Path to the ballot

See also: Laws governing recall in Colorado

No specific grounds are required for recall in Colorado. The number of signatures required for a recall to qualify for the ballot in Colorado depends on the office type. After the petition is approved by the relevant election office, petitioners have 60 days to gather signatures.

Recall context

See also: Ballotpedia's Recall Report

Ballotpedia covers recall efforts across the country for all state and local elected offices. A recall effort is considered official if the petitioning party has filed an official form, such as a notice of intent to recall, with the relevant election agency.

The chart below shows how many officials were included in recall efforts from 2012 to 2023 as well as how many of them defeated recall elections to stay in office and how many were removed from office in recall elections.

See also

• Ballotpedia's Recall Report
• Recall campaigns in Colorado
• Political recall efforts, 2024
• County official recalls

External links

• Search Google News for this topic
• 8th Judicial District of Colorado District Attorney
• Larimer County Clerk and Recorder
• Jackson County Clerk and Recorder